Training session two - over and under
Training session two - over and under
One way to build your body’s tolerance to lactate acid is to introduce plenty of it to your training.
The ‘over and under’ session is one way to do just that, riding above your FTP and dipping just below, with the short session also allowing plenty of scope to adjust the intensity according to your fitness and training targets.
“This is a session I like to set for guys looking to do longer time trials and also those tackling Alpine sportives, where you could be riding one climb for an hour,” Gallagher says. “It is about getting used to the build-up of lactate and teaching your body to deal with it.”
The nature of this training session, and the quick changes in effort, lends itself to using a power meter, as that will give an instant response to effort and so will allow your to quickly and accurately gauge the intensity, whereas your heart rate will take a little time to respond.
The session
“If you have the luxury of time to do a longer warm-up, riding for 30-minutes and building through your zones and hitting your sweetspot [at the upper end of zone three/lower end of zone four] will get your legs up to speed,” Gallagher explains.
“This session typically follows a rest day in a training plan so you might find your legs are heavy. That’s not a sign of poor fitness, it is just what happens and you need to have your legs up to speed for this session [so a good warm-up is valuable].”
After warming up, ride for 30 seconds at 130 FTP power (VO2 max heart rate).
Without any rest go straight into 30 seconds at endurance (zone two) and repeat for ten to fifteen minutes.
Warm down for ten minutes (zone one).
Upping the intensity
If you want to turn up the intensity even more, Gallagher suggests the following two options:
EITHER 30 seconds at 130 per cent FTP, followed by 30 seconds at 80 per cent FTP (zone three, tempo) and repeat for six to eight minutes.
OR 20 seconds at 130 per cent FTP, followed by ten seconds at endurance (zone two).
“Don’t [be tempted to] up the intensity of the ‘rest’ period, if you are reducing the time you are spending in it,” Gallagher warns. “Either up the intensity and leave it at 30 seconds, or reduce the time and ride it in zone two.”